Note of Encouragement
by Sarcasticles
Summary: Franky's not having a very super day. Luckily for him, Robin always knows the right thing to say. Established Frobin. Kind of. It's complicated.
**AN:** Found this half-finished on my computer from yesteryear and decided to dust it off and actually finish it. It wasn't supposed to end up as shippy as it did, but what can I say? Everyone has their weakness, and Frobin is mine.

I recognize my presentation of events isn't quite in line with the manga. I plead artistic license and the lack of desire to think of something that fits better within the timeline.

Lastly, reviews to me are as water to a man wandering the desert. I don't generally write romance, so I'd like feedback on my paltry attempt at the genre.

* * *

Franky was having a pretty un-super day. The crew was ready to finally leave Thriller Bark, only to be held up by some unexpected repairs to the _Sunny_. Apparently while raiding the food supply, a few particularly assholish zombies decided to mess with the cola engines, and without the cola engines working in tip-top shape Franky couldn't trust himself to set off a _Coup de Burst_ , and without the emergency escape system in perfect working order there was a chance that one of the Straw Hat Pirates might get hurt, and if one of his new-found friends got hurt because of him, Franky wasn't sure he would ever be able forgive himself.

The fix was time-consuming but not difficult, and Franky kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. The whole crew was chomping at the bit, anxious to depart now that Zoro was healthy enough to walk. Nami-sis, in particular, was furious when Franky delivered the news of the sabotage. It was the first time he'd received a bona fide ass chewing from the spunky navigator, and he was determined not to repeat the experience.

Skelly's reaction was almost worse than Nami's. The poor man had been stuck on his broken ship for decades, and out of all the Straw Hats was most eager to leave the mists of the Flordian Triangle. Unlike Nami, Brook did not yell, but upon hearing about the delay a sort of resigned sadness flashed across his eye sockets and no matter how hard Luffy pressed, he could not be convinced to play his violin for the rest of the afternoon. Just looking at him made Franky's allergies flair violently, and the shipwright locked himself in the engine room in a sort of self-imposed exile until he could get the thing fixed.

Usopp wanted to help, and any other day Franky would have been more than happy to teach the little guy more of his craft. But while Usopp was good with his hands and a damn fine inventor, he lacked the engineering skills to be of any real assistance and his presence would make it take twice as long as it should to finish. Franky had no choice but to send him away, not missing the feeling of rejection in the kid's slumped shoulders.

That hurt, way down to his metal heart, and when Sanji arrived a few hours later with a lunchbox and a bottle of cola that he'd never asked for, Franky couldn't help but think he had let his crew down. He'd been too busy partying, too busy hanging out with the rest of the crew, and he neglected his responsibilities because of it. It would be well within Luffy's right to kick him off the ship for something like that—not Straw Hat would, because that wasn't how Luffy did things, but still…

Franky set down his wrench and ran a massive hand through his hair. "Not super, bro. Not super," he muttered to himself.

At least he was almost done. It was too late in the day to make their departure now, but there was nothing to keep them from setting sail for Fishman Island first thing in the morning. Not that Franky was sure he'd be able to help the crew in _that_ regard, either. He vaguely recalled Old Lady Kokoro saying something about Fishman Island being tens of thousands of meters below the sea, and he prayed to whatever god that cared to listen that she was exaggerating, because otherwise they were in trouble.

A soft knock drew him from his thoughts, and Franky looked up to the smiling face of Nico Robin. His stomach did a little flip-flop that he attributed to indigestion, and he did his best to smile back.

"It's nearly supper," she said without preamble. "Are you going to join us?"

Franky looked down at the tools he had strewn about and at his greasy hands. "Not tonight. I'm just not feeling it, you know?"

Robin studied his face for a moment, her own expression unreadable. "Should I fetch Chopper?"

"It's nothin' like that. It's just…" his voice trailed off and he shook his head without finishing his thought. "I've just not been up to my usual _super_ self. That's all."

"I see. I'll make sure Sanji leaves you a plate in the refrigerator in case you get hungry later tonight."

Franky watched until she was out of sight, oddly thankful that she hadn't felt the need to press him any further. Then he got back to work, determined to have the _Sunny_ running at 110% before the sun rose in the morning.

* * *

The rest of the crew was in bed before Franky left the engine room. As quietly as he could, Franky took a shower, washing off the worst of the grime from his work and wondering where the day had gone. As predicted, it didn't take _too_ long to finish up his original task, but then he'd gotten an idea for a failsafe to keep anyone from tampering with his ship ever again. He was only going to work on it for an hour or two, honest, but then he got in a rhythm and the wheels in his head literally started turning, and before he knew it, it was the middle of the night.

With a jaw-popping yawn, he headed to the men's quarters. He felt his hair brush against the top of the doorway, and in the back of his mind he wondered if there was a way to renovate so that Skelly didn't have to bend down every time he went to bed. Franky pushed the thought away for later examination; right now it was past time for him to sleep.

First he looked fondly at his crewmates. It was easy to forget sometimes when they were up running around doing how young most of them were. Even the level-headed Zoro was only a teenager, hardly old enough to be slicing people into ribbons on a semi-regular basis. Skelly-bro was the obvious exception, but even he looked different as he slept. Peaceful, almost. That was good. They'd only known each other a few days, but Franky didn't like seeing Brook burdened by the promised he'd made all those years ago.

Smiling his first real smile of the day, Franky shuffled over to his bunk and flopped down without pulling out the covers. Something crumpled underneath him, and Franky reached behind his back and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

He'd made some adjustments to his eyes that made it easy to see in low light conditions, so Franky had no problems reading the note left on his bed. It wasn't very long, and the longer he stared at the elegant script, the more he struggled trying to decide whether or not he should laugh or cry.

Just as quietly as he entered, Franky left the men's quarters. If he remembered correctly, it was Nico Robin's turn for night watch, and the woman had some explaining to do.

* * *

Robin was ready for him, and when Franky entered the crow's nest she silently handed him a bottle of cola. He accepted gratefully before sitting on the opposite side of her. The soft glow of a lamp was enough for her to read by, and more than enough for him to appreciate how effortlessly beautiful she was.

"Good evening," she said, not looking up from her book. "I take it you finished your repairs?"

"Yup, the _Sunny's_ good as new. Better, actually." Franky launched into a detailed explanation of his ingenious new failsafe. He didn't know how much she understood, but she listened, and that was more than enough.

"It's a good idea," Robin said once he finished. "Although it might be difficult keeping the captain from setting it off accidently."

"Yeah, I've got some tinkering left, but it'll do for tonight," Franky said. Suddenly he recalled his original reason for visiting her at this ungodly hour (how was it time always went by quicker when they were together?). He chugged the rest of his cola and pulled the note out of his speedo. "What the hell is this?" he exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean," Robin said archly, a playful smile tugging on the corner of her lips. "Anyone could have left that for you."

"I don't think so, sister," Franky said. "The handwriting's too pretty for any of us dudes."

"That's quite the generalization. Mr. Cook has exceptional penmanship, and Long-Nose has been known to dabble in calligraphy from time to time."

"Hey now, remember what we talked about before? Their names are Sanji and Usopp. They're people, not occupations. Or noses," Franky added, before she could correct him about her favored moniker for the sharpshooter.

Robin's expression closed, and her gaze returned to her book. The longer she fingered the page that lay open on her lap without actually reading it, the more Franky wondered just how badly he just screwed up.

Damn, he was superbly un-super today.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Franky said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "That came out wrong."

"No, I came to you for assistance because I knew you'd hold me accountable," Robin said quietly. "It's just difficult. More difficult than I realized."

"You expected breaking out of twenty-year old habits to be easy?"

"In some ways, yes," Robin said. "The Straw Hat Pirates—yourself included—saved me when I didn't think it was possible to be saved. I care about the people on this ship more than anyone else in the world, but I have a hard time calling them by their names. I'm not…there isn't…it's not super," she said finally.

"Hey now, that's my catchphrase!" Franky exclaimed. He scooted over next to her and threw his arm around her neck. "I must've said it twenty times today."

"I heard," Robin said. Seeing his confusion, she offered him a wry smile and grew an ear out of his arm as an explanation. "No one blames you. You know that, right?"

"I dunno. I'm pretty sure I saw Chopper give me the stink eye when I came out to stock up on cola."

"Franky," Robin said. Her face was grave, the smile he'd grown to love nowhere to be seen. "You made an oversight. You caught it in time and corrected the mistake before any harm was done. There's no reason to keep beating yourself up over it."

"And you're trying to learn how to be close to people after spending two decades learning how _not_ to be close to people. It's gonna take some time. But I see you're well on your way."

This time it was Robin's turn to look confused, and Franky couldn't help but grin. It wasn't often he caught her by surprise, which made it all the more super when he managed to do it. He held up her note and cleared his throat. "Ahem. ' _There once was a man who was bitten on the face by a mosquito. He later cut the bite while shaving, and the wound became seriously infected, eventually leading to blood poisoning, pneumonia, and ultimately death. S remember, no matter how bad your day is, it could be worse.'_ If that's not a spurring word of encouragement, I don't know what is."

Robin didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. "It's true. It was his death that sparked the rumors that the Neferatari tombs were cursed, and no one has attempted an excavation ever since."

If Franky didn't know better, he would have said that Robin was _offended_. Instead he laughed his first real laugh of the day, his mood improving despite his exhaustion. He gave Robin's shoulder a little squeeze—not too hard; despite the tactile nature of her ability, Robin often did not appreciate being touched—and rose to his feet. "You're a weird one, Nico Robin. We wouldn't have it any other way."

Without thinking, Franky bent down and kissed Robin gently on the lips. It was nothing but a quick peck, but she _jumped_ , and if not for some nifty Devil Fruit action would have spilled her coffee all over the floor.

Franky was frozen in place. What the hell had he just done?! Of all the stupid, boneheaded, _idiotic_ choices he had ever made, this had to be the worst. Kissing Robin went beyond not being super, it was practically suicidal. He'd just ruined the closest thing he'd had to a romantic relationship in years, and his mind brought up the unhelpful image of her grabbing his balls so hard he thought they were going to fall off.

"Robin, I…" Franky's voice died off in a strangled croak. "I should go."

He was halfway out the door of the crow's nest when a dozen arms sprouted around his chest. If he tried, he probably could have broken free and made a run for his bed, but at that moment Franky didn't want to try. He'd made a terrible mistake, but the only thing he could do now was man up and own it.

Even so, as Robin slowly turned him around he had to fight the urge to clench his eyes closed and not look at her. It took his scrambled brain too long to realize she wasn't angry. Robin studied Franky with the same intensity that she studied ancient ruins thousands of years old, examining him like he were some perplexing puzzle with one of the key pieces missing.

"I'm not sure I can give you what you want. What you deserve," she said. Was it his imagination, or was there regret in her voice? "I'm trying to change, but I've been broken so long I'm not sure I'll ever be able to put myself together again."

Franky's heart dropped so hard he could almost hear it clang against the floor, all his worst fears confirmed. There weren't many girls out there who would both accept his metal body and handle his outlandish personality. Franky knew that; he'd made his peace with that long ago.

But.

Robin wasn't a girl. She was a mature woman, strong, smart, and sexy as hell. She was like a flower in a desert, blooming under the harshest of circumstances. With a little love and care, she would flourish. The Straw Hat Pirates were giving her that, but Franky was offering her something different. Something more.

He loved her creepy notes, how she kept tabs on the whole crew like a mother hen, the way she wouldn't take crap from anyone because she would give as good as she got. In comparison, he was just a bunch of scrap thrown together who couldn't even watch over his own ship properly. He'd always known she was out of his league, but so long as they played it safe, kept within the established boundaries, it had been possible to keep up the illusion.

Sensing his distress, Robin drew him in close. The crown of her head barely reached his collarbone, but even so he could feel the steady levelheaded confidence that made Robin…Robin.

"I'm not saying never. Just…not now."

"Yeah, I hear you, sister," Franky said thickly. It was probably his own tiredness mixing with the dust in the air, but for some reason he couldn't keep the tears from falling down from his face. He laughed a little, and Robin looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"I just realized I'm not sure if a mosquito could sting me."

It took her a moment for her to understand what he was talking about, and she chuckled softly. "Well, there was an archduchess who accidently stepped on a white phosphorus match and set her dress on fire. She died of her wounds as well."

"Nope, definitely impossible. I'm fireproof, inside and out," Franky said, forcing his normal joviality into his voice. "Pretty super, huh?"

"More than you know," Robin said quietly.

Cheered a little by this, Franky broke off their embrace. "I should go to bed now, early start tomorrow and all that. I'm sorry. For everything. I don't want things to be…weird between us."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "I have it on good authority that I'm always weird, and as you so elegantly said, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know. Go get some sleep, Franky. Tomorrow is a new day. A new beginning."

And it was. It was almost annoying how right Robin was about everything, but despite his downtrodden heart, Franky couldn't help but be excited as the crew set off from Thriller Bark. The ship was in tip-top shape, ready to brave the dark and dangerous waters of the Grand Line.

Time passed, and to Franky's eternal surprise the notes continued to come. A word of encouragement here, a morbid bit of trivia she thought he would find interesting there, once even a crude drawing of what he guessed was supposed to be the _Sunny._

Robin, who often found it difficult to share her feelings out loud, found her voice in the written word. They would be hidden, tucked away in places only Franky would be able to find. Even so, more than two years would pass before she left another note on his bed, this time only reading two words:

 _I'm ready_

Quietly, Franky snuck out of the men's quarters. And this time, he was ready, too.


End file.
